Aerosol nebulizers

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to nebulizers designed to introduce aerosols into the respiratory systems of persons suffering from respiratory ailments.

D United States Patent 1 13,580,249

[72] Inventor Kentaro Takaoka [56] References Cited Avenida Basque deSaude No. 519, Sao UNYTED STATES PATENTS [21] A 1 No g g g g 2,678,0445/1954 Szekely m1. 128/194 [22] g Se 16 1968 2,869,188 1/1959 Cameto21/117 p 3,301,255 1/1967 Thompson 128/194 [45] Patented May 25,1971

FOREIGN PATENTS 111,350 12/1939 Austra1ia...... 239/338 [54]AERQSOLNEBPLIQRS 548,068 9/1956 Italy 128/194 lclaunzom 2E5. PrimaryExaminer-Richard A. Gaudet LS. AssistantExamingr-J, B, Mitchell 33AttorneyAlbert M. Parker [51] Int. Cl. 1 1 02 [50] Field ofSearch128/184,

ABSTRACT: This invention relates to nebulizers designed to introduceaerosols into the respiratory systems of persons suffering fromrespiratory ailments.

Patented May 25, 1971 3,580,249

INVENTOR fiwmpa 72/640441 ATTORNEY AEROSOL NEBULIZERS Such a nebulizerincludes a container for holding a liquid medicant and a tubular bodymember connected to the container. The body member has a venturi tube atone end thereof and has a plurality of vents adjacent to the venturitube. Oxygen is passed through the venturi tube, which creates a partialvacuum and causes air to be drawn into the injector through the ventsand mixed with the oxygen. Oxygen is also supplied to themedicant-holding container and passes through a restrictive orifice andaround a baffle member whereby some of the medicant is nebulized andenters the body member. Thus, a mixture of air, oxygen and a medicant iscreated in the body member. A mouthpiece affixed to the exit end of thebody member may be used to convey the mixture of air, oxygen andmedicant from the nebulizer into the patients mouth and lungs. Ifdesired, the mouthpiece may be replaced by a mask which is affixed to apatients face so that the air-oxygen-medicant mixture can be inhaled bythe patient.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a vertical, axial section of a nebulizerembodying the invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary viewshowing a nebulizing tube and a bridge member which assist in nebulizinga medicant.

The nebulizer shown in the drawing comprises a tubular member 10, theouter (left-hand) end of which is designed to be connected to amouthpiece or a mask (not shown) of known design. A mouthpiece or a maskpermits a patient to inhale a nebulized medicant flowing from thetubular member 10.

The inner (right-hand) end of the tubular member is inserted into theleft-hand end of a tubular portion of a body member 12. A venturi tube14 is secured in the right-hand end of the body member 12, and anannular member 15 having a projecting boss 17 on the outer side thereofabuts the venturi tube 14. The boss 17 has a plurality of vents 19-19therethrough to permit air to be drawn into the venturi tube 14.

A T-shaped coupling 21 engages the boss 17 and has a central bore 22through most of the horizontal leg 23 thereof. The lefthand end of thebore 22 connects with a smaller concentric bore 24 which leads to and isconcentric with an orifice 25 in the venturi tube 14. Because of itsrestricted size, the bore 24 acts as an injector and causes a gas toenter the venturi tube 14.

Anothercentral bore 26 is provided in a vertical leg 27 of the coupling21. A hose 28 is connected to the outer end of the horizontal leg 23 ofthe coupling 21 and another hose 30 is connected to the lower end of thevertical leg 27. Oxygen flows through the hose 28 and some of the oxygenpasses through the horizontal bores 22 and 24 into the venturi tube 14.The rest of the oxygen flows through the tube 30 and into the bottom ofa container 31 which holds a medicant that can be nebulized.

The container 31 comprises a body member 32 having a circular flange 33at the bottom thereof. The flange 33 is threaded and is screwed into athreaded coupling 34 having a nipple 36 which projects downwardlytherefrom and is engaged by the hose 30. Preferably the container 31 ismade of a transparent material, such as glass or a clear plastic, sothat the medicant in the container may be seen.

A tube 38 is secured vertically within the nipple 36 and projectsupwardly so that oxygen from the hose 30 can flow therethrough and intothe container 31. A bridge 42 is provided at the upper end of the tube38. The bore of the tube 38 is restricted at its upper end so as to forma restricted orifice 41 which causes an injection action to occur at theupper end of the tube 38. The bridge 42 (FIG. 2) positioned above theopen end of the tube 38 acts as a baffle to break up the stream ofoxygen emerging from the tube 38 into a plurality of small streams. Dueto the injection efi'ect created by the restricted orifice at the end ofthe tube 38, the oxygen strikes the bridge 42 at a high velocity and theoxygen is dispersed around the bridge 42 in a plurality of streamshaving whirling patterns. This action causes rapid nebulization of theliquid medicant in the container 31.

A tubular cap 50 having an external depending rim 51 fits snugly overthe top of the container 31. The cap 50 has a central tubular member 52thereon, which projects downwardly into the container 31. It isimportant that the coupling 34, the bore at the upper end of the tube38, the tubular member 52 and the hole 47 at the top of the nebulizerall have the same centerline. This construction permits the nebulizedmedicant to flow upwardly without impediment and with little deviationfrom its intended path toward the tubular member 10.

The mixture of oxygen and air emerging from the venturi tube 14 alsoenters the body member 12 and flows into the connector 10 underpressure. Thus, when the mixture of nebulized medicant and oxygenemerging from the container 31 reaches the connector 10, it is joined bythe stream of oxygen and air entering the connector 10 through theventuri tube 14. The nebulized medicant mixed with oxygen passesupwardly under pressure from the container 31 through a coupling member45 into the body member 12 and then enters the connector 10. Theresulting mixture of nebulized medicant, oxygen and air enters theconnector 10 under positive pressure and passes under pressure intoeither a mouthpiece or a mask which a patient uses to inhale themixture.

An opening 47 is formed in the top of the body member 12 to control theflow of the mixture of medicant, oxygen and air into the mouthpiece, ormask, used to convey the mixture into the patients respiratory system.When the maximum flow of these gases is desired, the patient closes offthe opening 47 entirely by placing a finger over the opening. Thepatient may vary the amount of gaseous material he inhales by removinghis finger only partially from the opening 47, or by removing his fingertotally therefrom.

I claim:

1. An aerosol nebulizer comprising a tubular body member having one endopen, a venturi tube positioned at the opposite end of the tubularmember, a closure member having a plurality of openings thereinpositioned at the outer end of the venturi tube for the aspiration ofair, a T-shaped oxygen inlet member mounted adjacent to the outer end ofthe venturi tube and having intersecting central bores therein forming aT- shaped passage, a tube connected to the end of an arm of a T- shapedmember for supplying oxygen thereto, a container depending from the bodymember for holding a medicant, a tube at the bottom of the container, asecond hose connected to the end of the transverse arm of the T-shapedmember and to the tube at the bottom of the container for supplyingoxygen to the container, a tubular connector joining the container withthe body member, a nebulizer tube at the bottom of and extending intothe container and having a restricted orifice at its upper end, and abaffle positioned at the upper end of the nebulizing tube forintercepting and breaking up the stream of oxygen emerging from thenebulizing tube.

1. An aerosol nebulizer comprising a tubular body member having one endopen, a venturi tube positioned at the opposite end of the tubularmember, a closure member having a plurality of openings thereinpositioned at the outer end of the venturi tube for the aspiration ofair, a T-shaped oxygen inlet member mounted adjacent to the outer end ofthe venturi tube and having intersecting central bores therein forming aT-shaped passage, a tube connected to the end of an arm of a T-shapedmember for supplying oxygen thereto, a container depending from the bodymember for holding a medicant, a tube at the bottom of the container, asecond hose connected to the end of the transverse arm of the T-shapedmember and to the tube at the bottom of the container for supplyingoxygen to the container, a tubular connector joining the container withthe body member, a nebulizer tube at the bottom of and extending intothe container and having a restricted orifice at its upper end, and abaffle positioned at the upper end of the nebulizing tube forintercepting and breaking up the stream of oxygen emerging from thenebulizing tube.